THE VULTURINE CARACARA EAGLE? 



POLYBORUS? HYPOLEVCTS. 



The remarkable birds figured above furnish a second 

 example of the series of intermediate forms, by means 

 of which the continuity of affinity between the Eagle 

 and Vulture families is placed beyond a doubt. They 

 approach indeed much more nearly to the latter than 

 the Brasilian Caracara, with which we have provision- 

 ally associated them. So striking is this approximation 

 that they were actually sold to the Society under the 

 name of Pharaoh's Chickens, the common designation 

 of the Egyptian Vulture. From that bird, however, 

 they differ in many essential particulars, the very dis- 

 tinct character of their beak being alone fully sufficient 

 to remove any impression of similarity which might 

 otherwise be produced by their coincidence in general 



